Can opener



A. J. BEHLAU Nov. 25, 1958 CAN OPENER Filed April 19. 1957 INVENTOR. 4001. PH 55/91/40 BY f g g ATTORNEY United States Patent CAN OPENER Adolph I. Behlau, South Merchantville, N. J. Application April 19, 1957, Serial No. 653,827 2 Claims. (Cl. 30-22) The present invention relates to can openers and is concerned primarily with a can opened that is the epitome of simplicity and yet is readily operable to remove the tops from cans of all sizes and shapes and particularly those of small diameter.

At the present time, there are several difierent types of can openers. Among these might be noted the more expensive devices that are aflixed to a wall or other base and which include various operating parts. There are also portable can openers of this general type which operate with mechanically moving parts to sever the tops of cans. There is also the old conventional hand operating opener which operates with an upward movement and which forms a jagged cut that presents serious liability to injury. It is further noted that there is a type of can opened used in conjunction with beer cans which consists of nothing more than a bar of steel that is appropriately fashioned to form an opening in a can to iall of the can openers of the character above outlined present certain disadvantages in being either of a complex nature or incapable of operation to neatly remove a can top, at the same time leaving a smooth, even periphery about the inner side of the lip. Furthermore, none of these can openers is particularly adapted to removing the top of a circular can of small radius such as is now commonly used in putting up frozen fruit uices.

With the foregoing conditions in mind, the present invention has in view as its foremost objective the provision of a can opener which consists essentially of a flat steel bar that is formed at one end with appropriate structure for severing a can top adjacent to the lip that is ordinarily formed therea'oout. This structure consists essentially of a notch that is designed to receive the can lip. On one side of this notch there is an arm that is substantially coplanar with the main body portion of the bar and which terminates in an inwardly extending lug designed to engage the outer side of the can beneath the lip. On the other side of the notch the material of the bar is offset a distance slightly in excess of that of the conventional can lip and this offset portion is formed with a cutting edge.

Another object of the invention is to provide, ina can opener of the type indicated, a cutting edge which terminates at a sharp corner at the side of the can receiving notch with a rounded corner at the opposite end of the cutting edge. It is this rounded corner which adapts the opener to cans of small radius.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a can opener of the character aforesaid that includes an offset portion that is formed with the cutting edge, with the latter being formed by grinding off only one face of the offset portion. The side or face of the lug adjacent to the can lip is maintained flat and it is the opposite face which is ground oil to form the cutting edge.

In using a can opener made in accordance with the above-noted objectives, the lug engages the outer side of the can beneath the lip and acts as a fulcrum, while the severing edge is moved downwardly to cut the can immediately adjacent to the lip as an upward motion is; imparted to the handle. This operation is repeated as the opener is progressively moved along'the lip.

The can'opener of this invention is characterized by the fact that the inner side of the can adjacent to the lip is left smooth and even after the lid is severed, at the same time that the can wall is left unimpaired. Moreover, it presents the further advantage that during the, last stage of cutting the lid, the final stroke of the opener depresses the can lid immediately where the operation takes place, which is accompanied'by an upward tilt or lifting of the lid so that it may be readily grasped for removal purposes.

The opener of this invention presents the further ad vantage of being easily operated with the action being such that the user may grasp a can to be opened in; one hand and operate the opener with the other without necessitating placing the can on a table or other supporting surface. With the old conventional can openers it has been necessary to hold the can firmly on a table and with the formation of the upward jagged cuts this has often resulted in injury to the operator.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a can opener of the character aforesaid in which the opposite end of the bar handle is shaped to constitute a bottle opener for bottles having caps thereon, and also as a device for removing lids from vacuum packed jars without marring or impairing the lids.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention such as arise in connection with carrying out the above-noted ideas in a particular embodiment will in part become apparent and in part be hereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention therefore comprises a can opener consisting essentially of a bar constituting a handle with one end being formed with a notch for receiving a can lip, the notch having an arm on one side formed with an inturned lug and an offset'portion on the other side formed with the severing edge having an outer rounded corner.

For a full and more invention reference may be had to the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a can opener designed in accordance with the precepts of this invention.

Figure 2 is a view taken as a side elevation looking at a side edge of the opener.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of one end looking at the side opposite from that Figure 4 is a side elevation looking from the side opposite to that disclosed in Figure Figure 5 is a view in side elevation depicting a can as broken away to permit of illustration on an enlarged scale and showing the opener of this invention as applied thereto with the initial position of the opener being illustrated in broken lines.

Figure 6 is a detailed section taken about on the represented by the line 66 of Figure 7. v

Figure 7 is a horizontal section through the opener looking down on the top of the can with the opener applied thereto. It is taken about on the plane represented by the line 7-7 of Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is a View of the opener in operation viewed from the inside of the can.

Before referring to the drawing, it is to be noted that after a bar has been stamped and/or machined into the final construction of the opener it is heat-treated to impart a required degree of hardness thereto.

Referring now to the drawing, the can opener of this invention is shown as comprising a flat bar 10 of steel complete understanding of the disclosed in Figure 1.-

plane of an appropriate thickness to afford sufficient strength and rigidity. Moreover, the bar is sufilciently wide to be conveniently grasped as a handle.

One end of the bar 10 is formed with a notch 11 that is designed to receive'the lip of a can as will be later described. The. formation of the notch 11 leaves an arm 12 at one side thereof which is formed with an inturned lug 13. The lug 13 is intended to engage the outer face of the can beneath the lip when the device is in use. On the other side of the lug there is an offset portion 14 which is integrally joined to the main body portion 10 by a bend or inclined part 15 The end edge 16 of the offset portion 14 constitutes the cutting edge and the outer face of the part 14 is ground off as indicated at 17 to afford the required degree of sharpness. The end of the cutting edge 16 adjacent to the notch 11 is a sharp corner as shown at 18, while the opposite endisrounded off as indicated at 19. It is this rounded corner at 19 that adapts the device to the cutting of cans of small radius. Moreover, the formation of the rounded corner 19 provides an edge of appreciable thickness thereon as compared to the sharp cutting edge 16.

Atypical can is referred to in its entirety by the reference character C in Figure 5. It comprises a cylindrical wall 20 and a lid 21, with the latter being secured to the cylindrical wall 20 by the lip or bead at 22.

In using the opener above described, the can opener is first applied to the top of the can in a substantially vertical position with the notch 11 receiving the lip 22 and with the lug 13 engaging the outer surface of the cylindrical wall 20 beneath the lip 22. As the can opener is initially applied, it will assume the tilted broken line position depicted in Figure 5 and in which the corner 18 readily forms the initial penetration. The bar 10 is now rocked or rotated with an upward movement which imparts a downward cutting movement to the severing edge 16. As this action takes place the can lid. 21 immediately adjacent to the lip 22 is severed as indicated by the line 23 in Figure 7, and this severing action is accompanied by a turning of the metal of the can lid downwardly and inwardly. The side of the cut 23 adjacent to the lip 22 is smooth and even which permits of removing any solid contents of the can intact.

After each cut is made the opener is progressively moved along the lip 22 and during this action the wall 20 is left completely unimpaired and is not deformed in any way.

metal which must be severed by the final cutting stroke.

As the latter action takes place, the edge of the can lid thereat willbe depressed downwardly by the edge surface of the rounded corner 19- which is of appreciable thickness and this imparts an upward tilting movement to the remainder of the can lid. Thus, the latter is in a position to be readily grasped by the user for removal purposes.

The opposite end of the bar 10 may be formed to provide a bottle opener made up of a tongue 24 that is struck from the material of the bar, and an angular portion 25. having an outer edge 26. This bottle opener is used in a well-known way to remove crimped bottle caps from such bottles that are commonly employed in putting up soft drinks. Moreover, the edge at 26 is particularly adapted for the removal of lids from vacuumpacked jars that are commonly employed in putting up baby foods without in any way impairing or deforming the lid so that the latter may be replaced intact as occasion demands.

It is important to note that in operating the can opener, the final part of a cutting stroke is accompanied by movement of the outer corner of the cutting edge past the can lip. By rounding ofi this corner as indicated at 19, the device is adapted to operate on cans of small di ameter. Were it not for this rounded corner the corner would engage the lip of the can and prevent the formation of a smooth, even cut.

While a preferred specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions, designs and proportions illustrated and described because various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice within the purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a can opener, an elongate fiat metallic bar having side edges and a notch entering one end of said bar between said side edges, the metal between said notch and one side edge being bent inwardly to form an inturned lug on the end of said bar, the metal between said notch and the other side edge being deformed inwardly in the direction of said lug to provide a portion offset inwardly with respect to the plane of said bar and spaced inwardly from said lug and which ofiset portion has an end edge substantially normal to said side edges and offset longitudinally with respect to said lug, said end edge being ground to a sharp cutting edge, and a rounded corner at the joinder of said last-mentioned side edge and said cutting edge.

2. In a can opener, an elongate flat metallic bar having side edges and a notch entering one end of said bar between said side edges, the metal between said notch and one side edge being bent inwardly to form an inturned lug on the end of said bar, the metal between said a notch and the other side edge being deformed inwardly in the direction of said lug to provide a portion offset inwardly with respect to the plane of said bar and spaced inwardly from said lug and which offset portion has an end edge substantially normal to said side edges and offset longitudinally with respect to said lug, said end edge being ground to a sharp cutting edge, and a rounded corner at the joinder of said last-mentioned side edge and said cutting edge, said rounded corner having an exposed edge of appreciable thickness adapted to engage a can lid during the final stage of cutting the lid to depress the portion being cut and thereby raise the remainder of the lid.

References (Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 961,946 Franken June 21, 1910 1,115,780 Champlin Nov. 3, 1914 2,804,683 Hammond Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 38,624 Norway Dec. 17, 1923 405,288 Germany Nov. 6, 1924 

